Meter support



R. W. GRACE METER SUPPORT June 22, 193 7.,

Filed Dec. 2o, 1935 Patented June 22, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE v 2,084,438 METER SUPPORT Application December Z0, 1935, Serial No. 55,471

l Claim.

The invention relates to supports for electric meters and particularly to means for supporting a meter within a meter box.

The object of the improvement is to provide a support for meters which is quickly and easily adaptable for supporting old style meters or the present type A and B standardized meters.

Another object is to provide a support of this character comprising a pivoted bracket havloing two angular legs, one for supporting the old style meters and the other for supporting the type A and B standardized meters.

A further object is to provide a meter support adapted to be easily and quickly moved to 15 a position to permit heavy cables to be inserted through the usual openinfr for that purpose in the meter box.

The above objects together with others which will be apparent from the drawing and follow- 20 ing description or which may be later pointed out, may be attained by constructing the irnproved meter support in the manner illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure l is a fragmentary sectional View of the 25 upper portion of a meter box provided with the improved meter support, showing the same moved to position to permit cables to be inserted into the box;

Fig. 2, a similar view showing the support in 30 position to support a type A or B standardized meter;

Fig. 3, a similar View showing the support in position to support an old style meter;

Fig. 4, a fragmentary transverse sectional view 35 showing the manner in which a type A or B standardized meter is supported;

Fig. 5, a similar view showing the manner in which an old style meter is supported; and

Fig. 6, a detached perspective View of the me- 40 ter support to which the invention pertains.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawing.

-The improved meter support to which the invention pertains may be mounted within a meter 45 box of any suitable design, including a back wall lll, side walls Il and top wall l2. The top wall, as in usual practice, may be provided with an opening through which cables as indicated at I3 may be inserted into the box for connection to 50 the meter and this opening may be provided with the usual nipple Ill, preferably internally threaded as at I5, to receive the threaded end of a conduit IG within which the cables i3 may be housed.

The improved meter support may be in the form of a bracket indicated generally at il, provided with two angular legs i8 and i9 radially disposed and located substantially at a right angle to each other.

The bracket may be pivotally connected to the back wall l of the box at a point adjacent to the nipple I4 as by the rivet 29 which is located through an aperture 2| in the bracket Il and through a suitable aperture 22 in the back wall Ill of the box.

The leg i8 of the bracket is provided at its lower end with an angular ear 23 of substantially T-shape as best shown in Fig. 6, and the leg I9 has at its lower end the integral substantially horizontal foot 724 terminating in the upturned angular end 25.

As shown in Fig. l, the bracket may be swung into a position with the leg i9 swung to one side of the nipple id so as to move the foot 24 thereof into position to permit the cables I3 to be inserted through the nipple into the box. As the T-head 23 upon the leg I8 is compara.- tively short, the same does not interfere with the cables as they are inserted into the box.

There are at present in use a great many old style electric meters as illustrated iragmentarily at 26 in Fig. 5, provided with a lug 2l on the back wall at the top thereof for mounting the meter in a box or upon a board or the like.

The leg i9 is provided for mounting these old style meters and as shown in Fig. 5, the foot 24 of said arm is inserted into the socket 21 in the back wall of the meter, the upturned angular end 25 being received in the key hole slot 28 in the lug 21. The meter is thus supported in proper position within the box and may be readily attached or detached as desired. It will, of course, be understood that in order to mount one of these old style meters, the bracket il is swung to the position shown in Fig. 3 with the leg i9 depending vertically from the pivot 2i).

In order to mount the type A or B standardized meters such as have now come into general use, the bracket is swung to the position shown in Fig. 2 with the leg i3 depending vertically from the pivot 2B. In Fig. l is illustrated at 29 a fragmentary portion of the back wall of one of these type A or B meters. Such meters are provided with an attaching bracket indicated generally at 30 secured to the back of the meter as by a screw 3|, the bracket having an offset upwardly disposed arm 32 provided with a keyhole slot comprising the enlarged lower portion 33 and the restricted upper portion 34.

To support the meter upon the leg I8, the

Thead S of said leg is inserted through the eniarged portion of the keyhole slot and the meter is then lowered so that the restricted upper portion 365 of the keyhole slot receives the narrow portion of the 'i"'head 23 of the ieg, thus securely supporting 'the meter in position and et the same time providing for easiiy removing the meter when desired.

I claim:

In combination with a meter box having a back wall, and a top wall having an opening therein, a bracket pivoted upc-n the back wail directly below said opening, a leg upon said bracket having an angular inturned end portion for supporting a meter, the bracket being arranged to be swung upon its pivot swinging said. leg to one side of the opening to a position permitting cables to be inserted through said opening.

RICHARD W. GRACE. 

